One of the important accomplishments of the women's rights movement is the increased public attention being focused on the subject of rape. Thousands of rape cases are reported every year and the number is continuously rising. Perhaps even more important, however, is the recognition by the public that our system of justice and the psychological constraints imposed by our society have caused thousands more rapes per year to be unreported. While most women regard the possibility of being raped with a terror and a disgust bordering on psychosis, these feelings are almost equally strong against the possibility of being forced to publicly pursue conviction of the attacker. While the problem (and even the wide-spread public recognition of it) are by no means new, it appears that society is either unwilling or unable to cope with it. It appears, therefore, that, if rape prevention is to be accomplished, it must occur on the individual level.
Techniques which can be used by a potential rape victim to prevent the rape may be divided into active and passive methods. Active methods include weapons, unarmed self-defense techniques, and alarms. Weapons have numerous drawbacks which render them impractical in many situations. They require considerable skill and mental disposition in their use; they also open the door to substantial likelihood of self-injury when introduced into closequarter, physical-struggle type of contact. Furthermore, the carrying of various weapons is becoming progressively more regulated by government and such regulation may inevitably result in substantial legal liability even for justified use. Unarmed self-defense techniques, while appearing to provide a reasonable compromise in theory, have been found to be sadly deficient in practice. This is not only because they require the maintenance of a high level of skill and physical conditioning to be effective, but also they require a violent mental attitude in order to effectively eliminate an attacker, which attitude is alien to modern, law-abiding citizens. Various types of whistles and alarms that are intended to summon assistance are available on the market and can be effective in specific fact situations; they are not, however, a complete answer to the problem.
The concept of a passive prevention device which would make the rape impossible (and yet not require violent aggression by the victim) is much more consistent with practical realities. The expected violence involved in the attack, coupled with the ever-present threat, however, make the problem somewhat more difficult to solve than would appear at first glance. The standard solution has been a type of armored undergarment which could be locked in place to eliminate the possibility of rape. The problems involved in this concept become obvious when one considers that a device which is sufficiently strong and extensive to resist the efforts of the attacker is likely to pose substantial problems to everyday living. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide an intravaginal device which will effectively prevent rape.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a device which is simple to manufacture, to fit to the individual user, and to use.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a rape prevention device which will provide a maximum amount of security and protection at a minimum cost and inconvenience.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a rape prevention device which is comfortable to wear and does not unduly restrict the physical activities of the wearer.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a rape prevention device of the passive type, that is to say, a device which carries out its function without the necessity for violent aggressive action by the user, so that the device is effective even when used by timid, frightened, or unconscious victims.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a rape prevention device which is inexpensive to manufacture and dispense.
It is another object of the invention to provide a rape prevention device that can be readily adjusted to the individual physical characteristics of the user.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.